Process for cleaning automotive power plants



May 11 .1926. 1,584,505

|. J. BEVINS PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMOTIVE POWER PLANTS Filed Oct. 15, 1924 I M" 64" w 34 q I H I 5 T I00 32 1% 10 I 9 16 1 12 a? 5: 26

L0 60 H 21 l8 20 iii 17 g 44 Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA JESSE BEVINS, or cnrcaeo, rumors.

PROCESS FOR CLEANING AUTOMOTIVE POWER PLANTS.

Application filed October 15, 1924. Serial No 743,738.

This invention relates to the cleaning of internal combustion engines and more especially to process and apparatus for cleaning automotive power plants.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide means whereby the internal parts of an automobile engine, transmission, and gears may be cleansed and whereby the cleaning fluid'may be thoroughly purged from the engine, transmission, or gears, before a lubricant is again introduced.

Kerosene, and like petroleum derivatives, have long been known as highly satisfactory mediums for the cleaning of bearings, and of bearing surfaces, in machinery. These oils have the property of working their way between surfaces even though rusted together and of removing any dirt. which may be therebetween. However the use of kero sene, or its equivalent, has not been recommended by lubricating engineers for it has proven almost impossible to remove it from the machinery after the'cleansing operation,

the unremoved remainder dilutingv the new erties. These-diiiiculties have beenespecially troublesome in connection with automotive machinery, for often parts of the engine, transmission and gear case are below the drains and cannot be completely emptied.

- Furthermore, it is customary to provide the crank cases. of internal combustion engines with transverse troughs intended to contain 1 lubricant into which the cranks dip for the lubrication of the engine. These troughs are especially difficult to drain and have proven receptacles for sediment and cleansing fluid which could not be removed without dismantling the engine.

for its complete removal together with any sediment or other material which may havebeen washed from the parts, as it is essential in systems which are to be used by the average automotive operator or mechanic, it is simple, easily applied, requires no speclal parts. I

The attached drawing will serve to show an embodiment of apparatus and toillustrate my process as applied to a well known form of automobile power plant; it being understood that certain modifications in apparatus and application thereof are contemplated with other forms of automotive power plants well known to those skilled in the art. I a

Figure 1 is an elevation of an automotive power plant, parts of the casing being shown as broken away, for purposes of illustration.

Figure 2 shows a detail of the apparatus,

the lower ortion of the engine casing being shown in ragmentary section wit my preferred form of special plug in ace and mounting one embodiment of an air connection suitable for my purpose.

Figure 3 is a further detail view of a part of the apparatus'employed and is a portion of the engine casing being shown in' fragmentary section, as is the preferred form of plug I-employ, while the air inlet tube is shown in elevation.

Referring to Fig. 1'; the automotive en gine 5 is equipped with the usual water jacket 7, pistons 9, connecting rods 10, crank ,shaft 12, fly wheel and generator 14, transmission bands 15, clutch mechanism 16, main oil reservoir 17 and'crank case bottom plate 18 provided with supplementary o-il reservoirs 20. This particular form ofen ine is also provided with an oil filling tu e 24, withtimin gears 26, withpush rod.chambers 28hav1ng removable covers 29 and with a removable transmission cover 32 held by the screws 3,4. It is also provided with an oil draining plug connection 40 which in normal operation is closed by a solid plug.

For this solid plug I- substitute a special connection plu provided with an air in-v let valve 44 discharging through a nozzle 46. and ada ted to be closed by a removable cap 47 whic engages a threaded end portion to which a hose maybe connected. The details of this plu connection are best seen at Fig. 2 and while the attachment between parts 44 and 42 is shown as. accomplished by means of suitable nuts 49, it will be understood that member 44 may be integral with the plug 42 or may be attached thereto by aniy; suitable method.

eferring to Fig. 3; oil filling tube 24,

which forms part of the. engine, I provide with a, special closure cap 52, preferably of resilient material and capable of forming a tight joint with tube 24. Cap 52 serves to mount a device 44, similar to that described in connection with Fig. 2.

.The device 44 has been shown 'as a simple threaded tube but manifestly it may assume other forms since its purpose is the introduction of a'jet, of compressed air, or compressed air and cleaning fluid. To prevent the return of gases, air or liquid from the engine crank case, I. prefer to incorporate within device 44 a suitable form of check or non-return valve, that used in the ordinary forms of tire valve serving to fulfill my purposes. Description of the in ternal mechanism of device 44 is omitted since such non-return mechanisms are well known to those skilled in the art.

As a further aid in the application of the cleansing fluid to certain parts of the automobile mechanism and to assist in removing sediment and cleansing fluid from the parts, I provide an elongated nozzle 60 secured as at 62, to a suitable hose or conduit 64.

The operation of the hereinbefore described apparatus and the method of performing my process is briefly as follows:

The draining plug is removed from drain connection 40 and the body of lubricant contained within the main oil reservoir 17 is discharged. This first step is preferably accom plished while the'engine is hot and directly after it has been used. The drain plug in drain connection 40 is then replaced vby the special plug 42 and a quantity of cleans: ing fluid is introduced through the oil inlet and breather tube 24. Plug 52 is then inserted in tube 24 and connected through hose 64 with a source of compressed air or gas supply 66. Air admitted through hose 64 and device 44 discharges in a jet over the timing gears 26, thoroughly cleaning them of sediment and dirt loosened by exposing all parts of the timing gears.

Hose 64 is then disconnected from plug 52 and connected with the device 44 in plug '42. Compressed, air is again admitted and drives cleaning fluid which has drained to the main oil reservoir 17, over the transmission devices 14, 15, and over the crank shaft 12, connecting rods 10, wrist pins and the interior of pistons 9.

This operation thoroughly washes out the magneto, fly wheel, transmission, clutch mechanism, and all bearings of engine 5,

sarily at a considerable speed, to circulatethe cleansing fluid employed. This often seriously damaged the-engine bearings while failing to thoroughly cleanse them. It .is a special feature of my method and apparatus that operation of the engine for more than a few turns, or at any considerable speed, is avoided and becomes entirely unnecessary.

Plug 42 is now removed from the drain connection 40 and such cleansing fluidas may be in reservoir 17, together with the sediment and dirt which it will contain, is removed. If convenient the front end of the engine may be raised to drain a further portion of the cleansing fluid which has been trapped in troughs 20 and other parts these troughs. -Thus, when new lubricant was introduced it became mixed with cleansfluid anddirt, which upon operation of the engine was immediately thrown over the engine parts nullifying such cleaning as may have been accomplished.

A feature of my improved process is the provision for evacuating these troughs. This is accomplished in the following simple manner. Covers 29 are removed exposing valve chamber 28, nozzle 60 formed of copper tubing or the like is attached to hose 64, any suitable hose connection being employed, and introduced through the opening in the valve chamber bottom, as shown in Fig. 1. Trou hs 20 may then be thoroughly blown out y the jet of air issuing from nozzle 60. It is preferable to blow out the front trough first, then the remaining troughs in succession impelling all cleaning fluid and sediment to the main reservoir 17 and thence through connection 40, to the exterior of the crank case.

This operation thoroughly cleans and dries these troughs. As a further aidto repistons and the piston rods, cranks and interior of the cleaned.

The transmission and gear cylinder are thus dried and mechanism may also be blown out and driedby there-,2

moval of a screw, or screws, 34 of transmission cover plate 32, as shown in the left of Fig. 1. This provides 'for the removal of all cleaning fluid, dirt and foreign particles,

to reservoir 17 from which they maybe blown out by removal of plug 42. The standard solid plug can then be replaced, or, if desired plug 42 may be put in place, the non-return valve preventing lubricant loss. Plug 52 may then be removed and the new engine and transmission v In cases where a ready source otcompressed air, or cleaning gas, is not available, it has been found practical to utilize a tire, or tires, of the vehicle as a source of such air. supply, it being understood that it is preferableto utilize a spare tire if the motor vehicle is so equipped. v

It will be noted that the apparatus disclosed is simple, easy of application, inexpensive, readily transportable in the tool space of the motor car, and is operable by the most inexpert driver; The improvementseflectedby this invention will be appreciated when consideration is given to the lubricating difficulties now so prevalent in automobile operation, the thorough removal of sediment and cleansing fluid provided by the herein disclosed process and apparatus eliminating many of such diflic'uL.

ties. It will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made in the adaptation of' this invention to'other forms of automotive power plant, and to engine and .power transmission mechanism generally.

What'I specifically point. out and claim 1; In a processfor cleansing automotive power plants, the steps which comprise, introducing cleansing fluid to the oil reservoir, applying compressed air to said reservoir toscat-ter the cleansing fluid over the engine parts, draining the cleaning fluid from said reservoir, then applying compressed air in jets to the engine parts to eliminate cleansing fluid therefrom, and finally applying said compressed air jets to said reservoir to remove cleaning fluid therefrom.

2. The process of cleansing automotive power plants which comprises applying cleansing fluid through the oil filling device to partially fill the engine oil reservoir, applying compressed air beneath the surface of said cleansing fluid to drive the same over the engine parts, thenapplying compressed air to the engine-parts to remove the cleaning fluid, then draining the cleaning fluid from the oil reservoir. lubricant introduced to aperfectly clean, dry

3. In a process for cleansing automotive machinery provided with a main oil reser-' V011' and a series of supplemental reservoirs,

the steps which comprise, introducing cleanmg fluid to said main reservoir, applying an atoinizing agent to sald cleaning flu d to drive it over the engine parts, applying air in jets to clear saidsupplemental reserpressed air to the oil inlet to drivesaid fluid over a portion of the engine parts, applying compressed airto the lubricant drain open- ,ing to drive the cleansing fluid over the remaining engine part-s, then applying compressed air in jets to the interior of the automotive mechanism to drive 'out the re-' mainder of the cleansing fluid and to dry the engine parts, then draining the cleaning fluid and dirt through said lubricant drain.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, in the county of Cook and State of Illinoisthis sixth day of October A. D. 1924.

IRA JESSE BEVINS. 

